Man I would love to see a bunch of close-up pics of that 3GT mill...or a soft copy of the user manual
Cheers!
Cheers!
Me too!Man I would love to see a bunch of close-up pics of that 3GT mill...or a soft copy of the user manual
Cheers!
Didn't someone suggest to follow the alternate paradigm:
"Measure once, cut twice."
That's my plan. I really had no idea what my gap was until I went through some notes from years ago. I found a thread on the Braumeisters forum I'd archived 12 years ago and found what other brewers were using. That jibed with what I measured yesterday on my old crusher.I set it once years ago to a crush I liked and have not had to do it again since.
The only true 3 geared rollers from what I can find is the Crankenstein 3GT mill.
As far as I know with the MM3 geared only the top 2 rollers are geared. The bottom roller moves from the force of the grain going thru the rollers.Does the bottom roller need to be driven? Is there a benefit over the MM3-geared?
EDIT: Actually curious for myself as I'm looking at the MM3G. In search of knowledge, not an argument. Thought I should clarify. Lol
As far as I know with the MM3 geared only the top 2 rollers are geared. The bottom roller moves from the force of the grain going thru the rollers.
I do believe the 3rd gear will prevent stuck milling. I've run into problems with the MM3 where the roller on the shaft moves, the roller next to it doesn't move and the bottom roller also doesn't move. Perhaps due to binding dust?Right, but does a geared bottom roller pose a major advantage? The grain is still being forced through the smaller gap via the two geared upper rollers. My understanding is that the advantage of being geared is to prevent roller slipping while feeding the grain. If the grain is past the upper rollers then more grain is going to force it through the bottom one.
I also feel like having the bottom roller geared would could cause issues with setting up a gap, but maybe that isn't an issue. I have zero experience with any 3 rollers.
Was all set on a geared MM3 until this thread...haha
Someone here once said (paraphrased):Do wish Crankenstein had more info/specs on the mill other than marketing hype [...]
That's a good idea!I believe the stuck mllling on the MM3 is caused by very slight sticking of the shafts in the bushings. Giving it a quick turn each use fixes it but if you've dumped in 15lb of grain that's hard to do. But also it seems like if I turn it on and toss in a handful it never sticks. Then I can dump in the rest and its fine. Might help too that I loosened the bolts that attach the mill body to the table. There wasn't detectable binding but maybe combined?
Someone here once said (paraphrased):
"Would you rather buy a mill from by a machinist (Crankenstein), or a sales company (Monster Mill)?"
Although the MM2 works fine for me, I sometimes wish I had bought a Crankenstein, back in 2013.
I always just dump a 5 gallon bucket 95% full of grain on my old non-geared MM3 ( I don't start it first ), 50/50 shot if it will be stuck ( by stuck I mean only the drive roller is spinning ) or mill grain right off the bat. If stuck I'll ( turn off ) pull the bucket give it a tiny turn put the bucket back and works every time.
Au contraire! I think you should definitely buy the Crankandstein 3GT and give us all a first hand report! I was about ready to buy an MM3G. Now I'm not so sure.I think I'm going to pull the trigger on a Crankandstein 3GT.
Someone talk me out of it...
Au contraire! I think you should definitely buy the Crankandstein 3GT and give us all a first hand report! I was about ready to buy an MM3G. Now I'm not so sure.
The hopper and base didn't suit me either, so I made my own with 3/8" plywood and 1/8" acrylic. I also made acrylic sides.
The base was made to fit on either a retired plastic fermenter, or directly onto my MLT. For some dumb reason I get a kick out of watching the grain go through the mill. Easily amused, I guess...
Timely thread. The other day I spent over an hour grinding 14# of grain on my 15 year old BC in a 90+ degrees garage. The mill has performed well over the years until fairly recently. Time to move on. RIP BC.So here I sit with about 25 minutes left in the mash on what should be a relaxed brew day. But the Beer Gods frowned on me early in the process when without warning my grain crusher went Tango Uniform on me about half way through my 12 pound crush.
You know how you take some things totally for granted? Well that's how I thought about my mill. It's a Barley Crusher that I got back in 2008 according to the shipping invoice. It's just a tool, like a hammer, that I never gave much thought to. Until I needed to pound something.
I finally limped through a "crush", though it remains to be seen what my efficiency ends up being. Bottom line, SWMBO'd gave prior approval on my loan application to get a new one.
I remember a thread maybe 6 months ago talking about peoples' favorite crushers. Any feedback or regrets from what y'all have purchased? I've been mostly happy with the Barley Crusher even though their was a fair amount of displeasure with them from other owners who commented on the previous thread. I don't want to spend an arm OR a leg on a new one but I do brew at least 15-20 times a year, so I'm not averse to spending $$$ for quality.
Suggestions?
That's what I'm eyeing as a replacement for my BC. Mid August, tho...Anyone have experience with this 3-roller geared mill at More Beer?
https://www.morebeer.com/products/mighty-mill-3-roller-grain.html
It's a great mill. If I had it to do over, I'd get the same 3D.Nice work. That hopper looks sweet. I'm digging the see through aspect of it, would be cool to watch.
How do you like that CS mill? Any regrets?
Anyone think a geared mill is worth the extra $$$?
It's a great mill. If I had it to do over, I'd get the same 3D... they sure make a nice product.
yeah, my mill is 12,13,14 whatever years old....and yeah i have to use a pairing knife to keep getting it to catch the free roller. not quite bad enough to drop $150-175 on a new one yet, but getting there.....(that's been milling 20lbs of malt a week that whole time)
Yeah, I get it's expensive but I have a tendency to talk myself into buying equipment that is cheaper/less quality because I think I could get by. Only to replace it later with something better. Spending that much more money. I don't plan on buying another mill after this...ever
My grainbill for today's inaugural brew session was only 9.5# (blonde ale). Ripped through the job no sweat though the battery on my drill ran out just as the last grains were falling into the catch bin. Glad the grist wasn't 9.75#. I didn't check the battery charge before hand (dumb on me), though I thought is was over half charge. It's 18 VDC, 2AH capacity lithium. A full charge would get me through 14+ pounds on the Barley Crusher, but this crusher apparently chews through batteries due to the extra load. At least I don't have to drag out my corded impact drill for a 5 minute job.Timely thread. The other day I spent over an hour grinding 14# of grain on my 15 year old BC in a 90+ degrees garage. The mill has performed well over the years until fairly recently. Time to move on. RIP BC.
Au contraire! I think you should definitely buy the Crankandstein 3GT and give us all a first hand report! I was about ready to buy an MM3G. Now I'm not so sure.
How about until we know the specs/info of the mill you may be wasting your money.I think I'm going to pull the trigger on a Crankandstein 3GT.
Someone talk me out of it...
...you may be wasting your money.
I used a 3 roller MM3 for 9+ years with the occasional need to reset the rollers but overall it was a great mill. I motorized it with an All American Aleworks system that runs at 180 rpm and was very efficient and the crush was near perfect.I believe the stuck mllling on the MM3 is caused by very slight sticking of the shafts in the bushings. Giving it a quick turn each use fixes it but if you've dumped in 15lb of grain that's hard to do. But also it seems like if I turn it on and toss in a handful it never sticks. Then I can dump in the rest and its fine. Might help too that I loosened the bolts that attach the mill body to the table. There wasn't detectable binding but maybe combined?
What about the items I asked about in post Need New Grain MillUnlikely, given the specs/quality of the other homebrew mills offered by CS. But I do consider myself a bit of a gambler...
What about the items I asked about in post Need New Grain Mill
I have the Mighty Mill 3 and I'm very happy with it. Didn't get the larger hopper as I'm restricting my batch sizes to 5g or less. My LHBS uses one to crush grains for home brewers and a couple of local brew pubs. I like the shaft in particular because the end of the shaft is a 1/4 hex made to fit perfectly in a screw gun / impact. They are typically stronger than your basic 3/8 drill. I use a Ridgid or Makita impact to drive it crushing grain with no problem and it never drains the battery for a single batch of beer. The rollers are also easily adjustable for your desired crush. I think I paid $179 for it from More Beer. I'm happy with it.View attachment 735859 View attachment 735860
absolutely. I had a mill with the second roller just free wheeling...so many times it would just "hang up" and not spin. very annoying having to reach under and "flick" the static roller back into action.Anyone think a geared mill is worth the extra $$$?
I finally pulled the trigger and ordered the Mighty Mill 3. Like you, my old Barley Crushed has seen better days. Being a penny shy for the $30 discount, I ordered a cheap item to put me over the top (needed it anyway). I hope the mid August date is accurate.Thanks for the quick review. My 17 year old Barley Crusher needs a replacement and MoreBeer has $30 off $180 right now - may have to bite. Just hoping I can adapt my gear motor drive on my BC over to this mill (or time to use my drill?).
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